title: Protective effects of Zhuyeqing liquor on the immune function of normal and immunosuppressed mice in vivo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Zhuyeqing Liquor (ZYQL), a well-known Chinese traditional health liquor, has various biological properties, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunoenhancement and cardiovascular protective effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The protective effects of Zhuyeqing Liquor (ZYQL) on the immune function was investigated in vivo in normal healthy mice and immunosuppressed mice treated with Cyclophosphamide (Cy, 100 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection on days 4, 8 and 12. ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was administered via gavage daily for 14 days. The phagocytotic function of mononuclear phagocytic system was detected with carbon clearance methods, the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in serum were detected with Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immune organs were weighed and organ indexes (organ weight/body weight) of thymus and spleen were calculated. Meanwhile, the activity of lysozyme (LSZ) in serum and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) in spleen tissue were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ZYQL significantly upgrades the K value for clearance of carbon particles in normal mice treated with ZYQL (400 mg/kg) and immunosuppressed mice treated with ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) together with Cy (100 mg/kg) in vivo. The treatment of ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively increased the activity of serum lysozyme as well as promoted the serum levels of IL-6 and IFN-γ in normal mice and immunosuppressed mice. Furthermore, ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) had an antioxidant effects in immune system by enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px in vivo. In addition, ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively elevated the Cy-induced decreased organ index (thymus and spleen).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present work shows that the dose-dependent administration of ZYQL is capable of influencing immune responses, which implying that its valuable functional health may be attributed partly to its protective effects for the immune function.
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, P,R, China. why_pha@shzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong-ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Guo-yu
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Fu-zhou
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xiao-wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Li-juan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Hang-yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jin-hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D020011:Protective Agents; D002244:Carbon; D009113:Muramidase